At a time when celebrity photography tended to be heavily controlled by studios and handlers, Ron Galella (right) shook up the genre by snapping candid shots of stars out of the spotlight. ­Essentially, he brought the Italian art of paparazzi portraiture to the US way before TMZ and “Stars — they’re just like us!” were a thing.

Sometimes it got the Bronx native in hot water. Like when Marlon Brando punched him because Galella had been pursuing the actor in Chinatown. The lensman lost a few teeth but got $40,000 in a settlement. Richard Burton’s bodyguard also knocked out one of Gal­ella’s teeth (he lost that suit), while Elvis Presley’s security slashed Ron’s tires.

When Galella started photographing the Met Gala — the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute — in 1967, he wasn’t welcome there, either. “Sometimes they barred me from going in and I sneaked into the employee entrance,” Galella, 88, told The Post.
Nowadays, he’s legit. His new book, “Costume Galas and Parties, 1967- 2019 The Metropolitan Museum of Art,” shares five decades of his outsider’s insider perspective. Here are some of his favorite fashion-party photos and the stories behind them.

CHER

Although cigarettes — and selfies — are now banned inside the Met Gala, Galella caught Cher (far left) puffing away in 1974, while fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo was lighting a smoke for the singer-actress’ sister, Georganne LaPiere.

“Cher is so nice,” Galella remembered. A publication in 1976 asked him to get a photo of the performer and her new baby, Elijah Blue, by second husband Gregg Allman. Once again, Galella’s fearlessness prevailed.
“I knew where she lived,” Galella said. “I buzzed and she said, ‘Come back tomorrow at 5.’ And I got the picture.”

VICTORIA BECKHAM

The former Spice Girl-turned-clothing designer has long played it blasé — saying she didn’t smile in photos for years because she thought fashion people wouldn’t take her seriously if she did. It worked on Galella.

“I like her because she pouts and hardly ever smiles. It’s unusual,” said Galella, who shot this photo at the 2006 Met Gala. “But Beckham is ­cooperative. She does like to pose and look into the camera.”

DIANE VON FURSTENBURG

Some celebrities chafed at Galella’s persistent style. But legendary fashion designer von Furstenberg — seen here at a Revlon party in 1990 — is a longtime fan.

“She told me she loves the photos I have taken of her. I had a book party in 2002 and an exhibit at the Paul Kasmin Gallery and she wanted a picture of herself but wasn’t willing to pay for it. I didn’t give it to her,” said Galella, whose photos can cost up to $2,500.

ANNA WINTOUR AND DIANA VREELAND

Galella says it’s impossible to compare the two Vogue editors-in-chief, as they’re like apples and oranges. He snapped Wintour (above left), the current editor, at the 1990 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards — and caught a rare moment of her letting down her guard. “She saw somebody with an outlandish outfit,” he said of her sly laugh. “I think Anna is glamorous. She is mysterious and aloof.”

As for Vreeland, who helmed the magazine from 1963 to ’71 and is seen (above right) at the 1976 Met Gala, “Diana was the best of all the celebrities. She was so expressive with her hands and gestures,” he added.

JACKIE KENNEDY ONASSIS

Galella’s most famous obsession was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whom he pursued throughout New York City for years — leading to a 1972 free-speech trial in which the paparazzo was slapped with a restraining order.

“Jackie was my favorite subject. I had to keep 25 feet from her but in the museum I did break it,” he recalled of this 1979 shot.

For all of the former first lady’s frustration with Galella, he said that she only once covered her face — with a bouquet of flowers — while he was snapping her.

After four times being caught breaking the restraining order, Galella was fined and ordered not to photograph Jackie or her children any more.

“To this day I cannot shoot Caroline,” he said. “Actually I could, but it’s a risk. The injunction still is in effect.”

DONALD & MELANIA TRUMP

The future president introduced his wife to Galella at the 2010 Met Gala by saying, “He’s the photographer who went to court with Jackie [Kennedy Onassis],” the lensman recalled.

Now Galella believes that Melania “is, without a doubt, the most beautiful first lady ever. Even more beautiful than Jackie,” he said. Galella clarifies that Kennedy Onassis’ appeal, for him, lay largely in her “mystique — those dark glasses where she could see the outside but you couldn’t see her.”